EricScott Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 One name I don't see being mentioned as a possibility at #9 is Washington State OT Andre Dillard. Let me just make a case for him as a topic for discussion. Firstly, the initial reaction I would imagine is that 9 is too early for him. Yet there are a couple of mocks where I have seen him going 10 to Denver and 11 to Cincy and my sense is that he is climbing up the draft boards, so I would argue that picking him at 9 would not be the massive overreach that some might think. I see Jawaan Taylor mentioned as a strong possibility at 9, but A) he plays RT, AND B) he may very well be gone by our pick anyway. Dillard plays LT, and is the consensus best pass-blocking LT in the draft (he has the tape and an outstanding Senior Bowl against top competition to back it up). Teams spend years trying to find a quality left tackle to protect their QB's blind side; we get Dillard and Josh is protected for years. You then move Dawkins to guard (real good chance that he's a better guard than a left tackle, where he struggled last year), and voila, it's an upgrade at two positions. I know that Dillard is a work in progress in the run game, but I believe that he is athletic enough to be coached up. Washington State is a pass- happy offense that didn't run the ball much, so Dillard didn't get a lot of reps. Plus, I believe protecting Allen and giving him the time and confidence that his backside is safe is just about the best thing we can do to help him and the offense in general. And yes, a trade-down and then picking up Dillard would be the best- case scenario, but I'm willing to consider him at 9. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay_Fixit Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 He was literally mentioned in a mock draft posted here two days ago. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutDog Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 I’d prefer the T from Bama or Florida if that’s where we’re going with the pick. Both are more polished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formerlyofCtown Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 3 minutes ago, Jay_Fixit said: He was literally mentioned in a mock draft posted here two days ago. Welcome to TSW.? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Who Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 I'd rather grab Oliver at nine and trade up from 40 into the back end of the first to get Dillard. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay_Fixit Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 8 minutes ago, formerlyofCtown said: Welcome to TSW.? Bruh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Hammersticks Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 14 minutes ago, TroutDog said: I’d prefer the T from Bama or Florida if that’s where we’re going with the pick. Both are more polished. The T from Bama is actually an OG. I’m with ya on Taylor though. Beastly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangarang Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 First tell me who the first 8 picks were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezertbill Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 If BB isn't blown away by what's available at 9, he's trading down. Bank it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricScott Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 My argument is that a player who has demonstrated in every conceivable way that he is the best pass protector at a position that is generally regarded as one of the two or three most important positions in football would be more valuable than getting a right tackle that might be only marginally better (and is fairly likely to be gone anyway). We have a young QB who needs protecting, and I'm not all that confident that Dawkins will somehow rebound and become the player we need him to be at LT moving forward. I have more confidence that he can become an above-average guard than an above-average LT. And right tackle is a position more easily filled. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Dillard had a helluva combine and if his tape backs up his athleticism and his interviews go well, I think he could be the first OT off the board. Taylor had a great combine as well and he wasn’t even at 100%. If McNeane and Co. are satisfied with either, I’d be ok with either as well. OT anchors for the bulk of Josh’s career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VADC Bills Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 (edited) 44 minutes ago, Dr. Who said: I'd rather grab Oliver at nine and trade up from 40 into the back end of the first to get Dillard. Totally agree. With all of the emphasis on offense we had in had free agency and rightly so, people tend to forget how mediocre our defense was even though we had good stats. We were picked apart by Tannehill and Darnold. With Kyle gone we need to firm up the line and need more on the edge. We can't totally ignore these areas. I could be very happy with Dillard if it means getting Oliver as well. Edited March 21, 2019 by VADC Bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 43 minutes ago, Dr. Who said: I'd rather grab Oliver at nine and trade up from 40 into the back end of the first to get Dillard. Dillard will be long gone by then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Joshin' Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 5 minutes ago, K-9 said: Dillard had a helluva combine and if his tape backs up his athleticism and his interviews go well, I think he could be the first OT off the board. Taylor had a great combine as well and he wasn’t even at 100%. If McNeane and Co. are satisfied with either, I’d be ok with either as well. OT anchors for the bulk of Josh’s career. Nice he had a good combine. I worry when a player moves up after the combine vs the combine confirming the tape. Does the tape show him worthy of 9? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Just now, Just Joshin' said: Nice he had a good combine. I worry when a player moves up after the combine vs the combine confirming the tape. Does the tape show him worthy of 9? Yes. Many had him as the top OT in the draft before the Combine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricScott Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 6 minutes ago, K-9 said: Dillard had a helluva combine and if his tape backs up his athleticism and his interviews go well, I think he could be the first OT off the board. Taylor had a great combine as well and he wasn’t even at 100%. If McNeane and Co. are satisfied with either, I’d be ok with either as well. OT anchors for the bulk of Josh’s career. He didn't just have a helluva combine, he had a helluva Senior Bowl week against top competition as well. Hey, I'd love to be able to trade back and still get Dillard, but I think he is going to go much higher than people think because he is a good player at a premium position that is hugely coveted in the NFL. If he turns out to be a reliable protector of Josh's blind side for the next ten years, wouldn't that prove to be a good use of this pick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Joshin' Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 22 minutes ago, dezertbill said: If BB isn't blown away by what's available at 9, he's trading down. Bank it What team is going to trade and why? Also saw a report that the Browns see only 15 first round talents thus they were OK with trading 17. My guess is they are doing a CYA to make the trade look better. The point is are getting a top talent at 9 and what talent are you getting when moving back. Would rather have JJ Watt or 2 lesser talents? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 2 minutes ago, Just Joshin' said: Nice he had a good combine. I worry when a player moves up after the combine vs the combine confirming the tape. Does the tape show him worthy of 9? The tape is paramount and I haven’t seen enough to know one way or the other. That’s why I said “if” as I assume McBeane are doing their due diligence. I agree entirely about combine performances. They are only good for a snapshot of the athleticism, explosion, and strength required. Means little without the game tape and interviews to fill out the entire picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 1 hour ago, Jay_Fixit said: He was literally mentioned in a mock draft posted here two days ago. Yeah but besides that... nothing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricScott Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Just Joshin' said: Nice he had a good combine. I worry when a player moves up after the combine vs the combine confirming the tape. Does the tape show him worthy of 9? A draft analyst that they interviewed on WGR yesterday (I forget his name) said that he had Dillard rated as his number one tackle, ahead of both Taylor and Williams, who he sees as a guard in the NFL. And he's not just a workout warrior; the combine only reinforced the excellent tape that is there from both his college career and the Senior Bowl. Edited March 21, 2019 by EricScott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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